Method of manufacturing semiconductor device, substrate processing apparatus and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium

ABSTRACT

Described herein is a technique capable of forming a film on a substrate with good uniformity. According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including: processing a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times, the cycle comprising: (a) supplying a source gas; (b) discharging at least the source gas; (c) supplying a reactive gas; and (d) discharging at least the reactive gas. The substrate is kept stationary while each cycle is performed, and a rotation angle of rotating the substrate is calculated based on the predetermined number of times after each cycle is completed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional U.S. patent application is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 16/818,510, filed Mar. 13, 2020, which is acontinuation of International Application No. PCT/JP2018/009963, filedon Mar. 14, 2018, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a)-(d) toJapanese Patent Application No. 2017-183183, filed on Sep. 25, 2017, theentire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method of manufacturing asemiconductor device, a substrate processing apparatus and anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium.

BACKGROUND

A vertical type apparatus serving as a substrate processing apparatusmay be used to perform a substrate processing such as a film-formingprocess. A boat (also referred to as a “substrate retainer”) may beaccommodated in a process chamber of the vertical type apparatus. Aplurality of substrates (also referred to as wafers), for example,several tens to hundreds of substrates, may be arranged in the boat ofthe vertical type apparatus. The film-forming process may be performedon surface of each of the plurality of the substrates by supplying aprocess gas onto the plurality of the substrates accommodated in theboat and heating the plurality of the substrates. The film-formingprocess may be performed while an inner pressure or an inner temperatureof the process chamber is set to a predetermined pressure or apredetermined temperature.

According to related arts, a step of forming an insulating film on awafer (substrate) while rotating the wafer is disclosed.

SUMMARY

Described herein is a technique capable of forming a film with gooduniformity on a substrate.

According to one aspect of the technique of the present disclosure,there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a processchamber in which a substrate is processed; a process gas supply systemconfigured to supply a process gas into the process chamber; a rotatingmechanism configured to rotate the substrate; and a controllerconfigured to control the process gas supply system and the rotatingmechanism to supply the process gas in a state where the substrate isstopped while a cycle of supplying the process gas is performed apredetermined number of times; and rotate the substrate by apredetermined angle obtained by dividing a circumference of thesubstrate equally by the predetermined number of times while the processgas is not supplied to the substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a vertical cross-section of a processfurnace of a substrate processing apparatus according to one or moreembodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration ofa controller and related components of the substrate processingapparatus according to the embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a film-forming process according to theembodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates rotation states of a wafer according tothe embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a manufacturing process according tothe embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example of a step (or a controlsequence) of determining a rotation angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments

Hereinafter, one or more embodiments (hereinafter, simply referred to as“embodiments”) according to the technique of the present disclosure willbe described with reference to the drawings. Like reference numeralsrepresent like components in the drawings, and redundant descriptionsrelated thereto will be omitted. In the drawings, for the sake ofconvenience of the descriptions, features such as a width, a thicknessand a shape of each component may be schematically illustrated ascompared with actual features. However, the drawings are merely examplesof the embodiments, and the embodiments according to the technique ofthe present disclosure are not limited thereto.

(1) Processing Apparatus

A substrate processing apparatus (hereinafter, simply referred to as a“processing apparatus”) according to the embodiments is configured as asemiconductor manufacturing apparatus that performs, for example, asubstrate processing such as a film-forming process. The substrateprocessing is performed as one of manufacturing processes in a method ofmanufacturing a semiconductor device. In particular, according to theembodiments, a vertical type semiconductor manufacturing apparatus thatperforms the film-forming process on a substrate may be used as thesubstrate processing apparatus.

Hereinafter, a process furnace 202 of a substrate processing apparatus101 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 .

The process furnace 202 includes a vertical type reaction tube (alsosimply referred to as a “reaction tube”) 203 inside thereof. Forexample, the reaction tube 203 is of a substantially cylindrical shapewith a closed upper end and an open lower end. The reaction tube 203 isarranged vertically such that the open lower end faces downward and acenter line of the cylindrical shape of the reaction tube 203 is alignedin a vertical direction. The reaction tube 203 is fixedly supported by ahousing (not shown) of the substrate processing apparatus 101. Accordingto the embodiments, for example, the reaction tube 203 is made of a highheat resistant material such as quartz (SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC).The reaction tube 203 is integrally formed as a single body of a highlyheat resistant material in a substantially cylindrical shape.

A process chamber 201 in which a boat 217 serving as a substrateretainer is accommodated is provided in the reaction tube 203. Aplurality of wafers including a wafer 200 serving as a substrate may beaccommodated in horizontal orientation in the boat 217 in a multistagemanner along a vertical direction. An inner diameter of the reactiontube 203 is set to be larger than a maximum outer diameter of the boat217 accommodating the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200.

A lower end portion of the reaction tube 203 is hermetically sealed by afurnace opening portion 209 whose horizontal cross-section is of asubstantially circular ring shape. The reaction tube 203 is detachablyprovided to the furnace opening portion 209 for performing operationssuch as a maintenance operation, an inspection operation and a cleaningoperation. By supporting the furnace opening portion 209 by the housingof the substrate processing apparatus 101, the reaction tube 203 isvertically provided on the housing of the substrate processing apparatus101.

An exhaust pipe 231 serving as an exhaust line configured to exhaust aninner atmosphere of the process chamber 201 is connected to a part of aside wall of the furnace opening portion 209. An exhaust port 205configured to exhaust the inner atmosphere of the process chamber 201 isprovided at a connection portion between the furnace opening portion 209and the exhaust pipe 231. A pressure sensor 245, an APC (AutomaticPressure Controller) valve 243 and a vacuum pump 246 are sequentiallyconnected to the exhaust pipe 231 from an upstream side to a downstreamside of the exhaust pipe 231. The APC valve 243 serves as a pressureadjustment valve and the vacuum pump 246 serves as a vacuum exhaustapparatus. The vacuum pump 246 is configured to exhaust the processchamber 201 such that an inner pressure of the process chamber 201reaches and maintains at a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree). TheAPC valve 243, the pressure sensor 245 and the vacuum pump 246 areelectrically connected to a controller 280 to constitute a pressurecontrol system.

A seal cap 219 configured to seal a lower end opening of the furnaceopening portion 209 is provided under the furnace opening portion 209.The seal cap 219 is in contact with the lower end of the furnace openingportion 209 from thereunder. The seal cap 219 is of a disk shape. Anouter diameter of the seal cap 219 is equal to or greater than an outerdiameter of the reaction tube 203. The seal cap 219 may be moved upwardor downward by a boat elevator 115 vertically provided outside thereaction tube 203 while maintaining a horizontal orientation of the sealcap 219.

The boat 217 serving as a substrate retainer configured to accommodate(support) the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 isvertically supported on the seal cap 219. The boat 217 includes a pairof end plates (that is, an upper end plate 210 and a lower end plate211) and a plurality of wafer support parts (for example, 4 wafersupport parts according to the embodiments) 212. The plurality of thewafer support parts 212 is provided vertically between the upper endplate 210 and the lower end plate 211. For example, the upper end plate210, the lower end plate 211 and the plurality of the wafer supportparts 212 are made of a high heat resistant material such as quartz(SiO2) and silicon carbide (SiC).

Support recesses (not shown) are engraved at each of the plurality ofthe wafer support parts 212 at equal intervals in a lengthwise directionof each of the plurality of the wafer support parts 212. Supportrecesses of the same stage of the plurality of the wafer support parts212 face one another. By inserting a peripheral edge of each of theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 into the supportrecesses of the same stage of the plurality of the wafer support parts212, the boat 217 supports the plurality of the wafers verticallyarranged in multiple stages while the plurality of the wafers being inhorizontal orientation with their centers aligned with each other.

A plurality of heat insulating plates 218 is provided between the boat217 and the seal cap 219. Each of the plurality of the heat insulatingplates 218 is of a disk shape. The plurality of the heat insulatingplates 218 is vertically arranged in multiple stages while the pluralityof the heat insulating plates 218 being in horizontal orientation. Forexample, the plurality of the heat insulating plates 218 is made of aheat resistant material such as quartz and SiC. The plurality of theheat insulating plates 218 is configured to suppress the transmission ofthe heat from a heater 207 described later to the seal cap 219.

A boat rotating mechanism 267 configured to rotate the boat 217 isprovided below the seal cap 219 opposite to the process chamber 201. Aboat rotating shaft 255 of the boat rotating mechanism 267 is connectedto the boat 217 through the seal cap 219. The boat rotating shaft 255supports the boat 217 from thereunder. As the boat rotating mechanism267 rotates the boat rotating shaft 255, the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 in the process chamber 201 is rotated. The sealcap 219 may be moved upward or downward in the vertical direction by theboat elevator 115 described above. When the seal cap 219 is moved upwardor downward by the boat elevator 115, the boat 217 may be transferred(loaded) into the process chamber 201 or transferred (unloaded) out ofthe process chamber 201.

The boat rotating mechanism 267 and the boat elevator 115 areelectrically connected to the controller 280 to constitute a drivecontrol system.

The heater 207 serving as a heating mechanism configured to heat aninside of the reaction tube 203 uniformly or at a predeterminedtemperature distribution is provided outside the reaction tube 203 so asto surround the reaction tube 203. The heater 207 is verticallyinstalled by being supported by the housing of the substrate processingapparatus 101. For example, the heater 207 is embodied by a resistanceheater such as a carbon heater.

A temperature sensor 263 serving as a temperature detector is providedin the reaction tube 203. The heater 207 and the temperature sensor 263are electrically connected to the controller 280 to constitute atemperature control system.

As gas supply pipes, a nozzle (also referred to as a “first gas supplypipe”) 410, a nozzle (also referred to as a “second gas supply pipe”)420 and a nozzle (also referred to as a “third gas supply pipe”) 430 areprovided in the process chamber 201 to penetrate the side wall of thefurnace opening portion 209 Like to the nozzle 410, the nozzles 420 and430 are provided along an inner wall of the reaction tube 203 whenviewed from a cross-section taken along the line A-A shown in FIG. 1 .Gas pipes 310 and 320 configured to supply a source gas are connected tothe nozzles 410 and 420, respectively. For example, a gas pipe 390configured to supply a reactive gas is connected to the nozzle 430. Asdescribed above, for example, three nozzles 410, 420 and 430 and threegas pipes 310, 320 and 390 are provided in the reaction tube 203.

A plurality of gas supply holes 410 a, a plurality of gas supply holes420 a and a plurality of gas supply holes 430 a configured to supply(eject) a gas such as the source gas and the reactive gas are providedon side surfaces of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430, respectively. Theplurality of the gas supply holes 410 a and the plurality of the gassupply holes 430 a are open toward a center of the reaction tube 203.The plurality of the gas supply holes 420 a is open toward an outerperipheral portion of the reaction tube 203. The plurality of the gassupply holes 410 a, the plurality of the gas supply holes 420 a and theplurality of the gas supply holes 430 a are provided from a lowerportion to an upper portion of the reaction tube 203, and have the sameopening area and the same pitch.

MFCs (Mass Flow Controllers) 312, 322 and 392 serving as flow ratecontrollers (flow rate control mechanisms) and valves 314, 324 and 394serving as opening/closing valves are sequentially installed at the gaspipes 310, 320 and 390, respectively, from upstream sides to downstreamsides of the gas pipes 310, 320 and 390. The nozzles 410, 420 and 430are connected to front end portions of the gas pipes 310, 320 and 390,respectively. Each of the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 may include anL-shaped nozzle. Horizontal portions of the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 areinstalled through the side wall of the furnace opening portion 209.Vertical portions of the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 are installed in anannular space provided between the inner wall of the reaction tube 203and the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200. That is, thevertical portions of the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 are installed in theannular space along the inner wall of the reaction tube 203, and extendfrom the lower portion to the upper portion of the reaction tube 203(that is, from one end toward the other end of a wafer arrangementregion in which the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 isstacked).

According to the embodiments, the gas such as the source gas and thereactive gas is supplied through the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 providedin a vertically long annular space which is defined by the inner wall ofthe reaction tube 203 and edge portions of the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 stacked in the reaction tube 203. Then, the gasis ejected into the reaction tube 203 around the plurality of the wafersthrough the plurality of the gas supply holes 410 a, the plurality ofthe gas supply holes 420 a and the plurality of the gas supply holes 430a of the nozzles 410, 420, and 430 facing the plurality of the wafers,respectively. Specifically, the gas is ejected into the reaction tube203 in a direction parallel to the surfaces of the plurality of thewafers, that is, in a horizontal direction through the plurality of thegas supply holes 410 a, the plurality of the gas supply holes 420 a andthe plurality of the gas supply holes 430 a of the nozzles 410, 420 and430, respectively. Therefore, it is possible to uniformly supply the gasonto each of the plurality of the wafers.

The gas that has flowed parallel to the surfaces of the plurality of thewafers, that is, a remaining gas in the process chamber 201 after thereaction (that is, a residual gas) flows toward the exhaust pipe 231described later.

Inert gas pipes 510, 520 and 530 configured to supply an inert gasserving as a carrier gas are connected to the gas pipes 310, 320 and390, respectively. MFCs 512, 522 and 532 and valves 514, 524 and 534 aresequentially installed at the inert gas pipes 510, 520 and 530,respectively, from upstream sides to downstream sides of the inert gaspipes 510, 520 and 530.

For example, the source gas serving as one of process gases is suppliedinto the process chamber 201 through the gas pipe 310 provided with theMFC 312 and the valve 314 and the nozzle 410. The same source gas as thesource gas supplied through the gas pipe 310 serving as one of theprocess gases is supplied into the process chamber 201 through the gaspipe 320 provided with the MFC 322 and the valve 324 and the nozzle 420.The reactive gas serving as one of a process gas is supplied into theprocess chamber 201 through the gas pipe 390 provided with the MFC 392and the valve 394 and the nozzle 430. A silicon (Si)-containing gas suchas dichlorosilane (SiH2C12, abbreviated as DCS) gas andhexachlorodisilane (Si2C16, abbreviated as HCDS) gas may be used as thesource gas. The embodiments will be described by way of an example inwhich the source gas supplied through the gas pipe 310 is same as thesource gas supplied through the gas pipe 320. However, the embodimentsare not limited thereto as long as the source gas supplied through thegas pipe 310 is of same type as that of the source gas supplied throughthe gas pipe 320.

The inert gas serving as the carrier gas is supplied into the processchamber 201 through the inert gas pipes 510, 520 and 530 provided withthe MFCs 512, 522 and 532 and the valves 514, 524 and 534, respectively,the nozzles 410 and 420 and the nozzle 430. The inert gas also serves asone of the process gases. Nitrogen (N2) gas or a rare gas such as helium(He) gas, neon (Ne) gas, argon (Ar) gas and xenon (Xe) gas may be usedas the inert gas,

When the process gas is supplied through the gas pipes 310, 320 and 390and the inert gas pipes 510, 520 and 530 as described above, a processgas supply system is constituted mainly by the gas pipes 310, 320 and390, the inert gas pipes 510, 520 and 530, the MFCs 312, 322, 392, 512,522 and 532, the valves 314, 324, 394, 514, 524 and 534. In addition,the process gas supply system may further include the nozzles 410, 420and 430.

When the source gas is supplied through the gas pipes 310 and 320 asdescribed above, a source gas supply system is constituted mainly by thegas pipes 310 and 320, the MFCs 312 and 322 and the valves 314 and 324.In addition, the source gas supply system may further include the inertgas pipes 510 and 520, the MFCs 512 and 522 and the valves 514 and 524.The source gas supply system may further include the nozzles 410 and420.

When the reactive gas is supplied through the gas pipe 390 as describedabove, a reactive gas supply system is constituted mainly by the gaspipe 390, the MFC 392 and the valve 394. In addition, the reactive gassupply system may further include the inert gas pipe 530, the MFC 532and the valve 534. The reactive gas supply system may further includethe nozzle 430.

The MFCs 312, 322, 392, 512, 522 and 532, and the valves 314, 324, 394,514, 524 and 534 are electrically connected to the controller 280 toconstitute a process gas supply control system (also simply referred toas a “gas supply control system”). In addition, the process gas supplycontrol system (the gas supply control system) may further include thepressure sensor 245, the APC valve 243 and the vacuum pump 246.

(2) Controller

Hereinafter, the controller 280 serving as a control device (controlmechanism) will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the controller 280 serving as a control device(control mechanism) is constituted by a computer including a CPU(Central Processing Unit) 280 a, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 280 b, amemory device 280 c and an I/O port 280 d. The RAM 280 b, the memorydevice 280 c and the I/O port 280 d may exchange data with the CPU 280 athrough an internal bus 280 e. For example, an input/output device 282such as a touch panel is connected to the controller 280.

For example, the memory device 280 c is configured by components such asa flash memory and HDD (Hard Disk Drive). A control program forcontrolling the operation of the substrate processing apparatus 101 or aprocess recipe containing information on the sequences and conditions ofa substrate processing described later is readably stored in the memorydevice 280 c. The process recipe is obtained by combining steps of thesubstrate processing described later such that the controller 280 canexecute the steps to acquire a predetermine result, and functions as aprogram. Hereinafter, the process recipe and the control program arecollectively referred to as a “program”. In the present specification,the term “program” may indicate only the process recipe, indicate onlythe control program, or indicate both of the process recipe and thecontrol program. The RAM 280 b functions as a memory area (work area)where a program or data read by the CPU 280 a is temporarily stored.

The I/O port 280 d is connected to the above-described components suchas the MFCs 312, 322, 392, 512, 522 and 532, the valves 314, 324, 394,514, 524 and 534, the APC valve 243, the pressure sensor 245, the vacuumpump 246, the heater 207, the temperature sensor 263, the boat rotatingmechanism 267 and the boat elevator 115.

The CPU 280 a is configured to read the control program from the memorydevice 280 c and execute the control program. Furthermore, the CPU 280 ais configured to read the process recipe from the memory device 280 caccording to an instruction such as an operation command inputted fromthe input/output device 282. According to the contents of the processrecipe read from the memory device 280 c, the CPU 280 a may beconfigured to control various operations such as flow rate adjustingoperations for various gases by the MFCs 312, 322, 392, 512, 522 and532, opening/closing operations of the valves 314, 324, 394, 514, 524and 534, an opening/closing operation of the APC valve 243, a pressureadjusting operation by the APC valve 243 based on the pressure sensor245, a temperature adjusting operation of the heater 207 based on thetemperature sensor 263, a start and stop of the vacuum pump 246, anoperation of adjusting rotation and rotation speed of the boat 217 bythe boat rotating mechanism 267 and an elevating and lowering operationof the boat 217 by the boat elevator 115.

The controller 280 may be embodied by installing the above-describedprogram stored in an external memory device 283 into a computer. Forexample, the external memory device 283 may include a magnetic tape, amagnetic disk such as a flexible disk and a hard disk, an optical disksuch as a CD and a DVD, a magneto-optical disk such as an MO and asemiconductor memory such as a USB memory a memory card. The memorydevice 280 c or the external memory device 283 may be embodied by anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium. Hereafter, the memorydevice 280 c and the external memory device 283 are collectivelyreferred to as recording media. In the present specification, the term“recording media” may indicate only the memory device 280 c, mayindicate only the external memory device 283, or may indicate both ofthe memory device 280 c and the external memory device 283. Instead ofthe external memory device 283, a communication means such as theInternet and a dedicated line may be used to provide the program to thecomputer.

(3) Substrate Processing

Hereinafter, an exemplary sequence of the substrate processing (that is,an exemplary sequence of a film-forming process) of forming a film onthe substrate, which is a part of manufacturing processes of asemiconductor device, will be described. The exemplary sequence of thefilm-forming process is performed by using the substrate processingapparatus 101 described above. Hereinafter, the exemplary sequence ofthe film-forming process will be described by way an example in whichthe film is formed on the wafer 200 by alternately supplying a firstprocess gas (that is, the source gas) and a second process gas (that is,the reactive gas) to the wafer 200.

Hereinafter, an example in which a silicon nitride film (Si3N4 film)(hereinafter, also referred to as an “SiN film”) is formed on the wafer200 by using the HCDS gas as the source gas and ammonia (NH3) gas as thereactive gas. In the following descriptions, the operations of thecomponents constituting the substrate processing apparatus 101 arecontrolled by the controller 280.

According to the exemplary sequence of the film-forming process, the SiNfilm is formed on the wafer 200 by performing a cycle a predeterminednumber of times (at least twice). For example, the cycle may include: astep of supplying the HCDS gas to the wafer 200 in the process chamber201; a step of removing the HCDS gas (that is, the residual gas) fromthe process chamber 201; a step of supplying the NH3 gas to the wafer200 in the process chamber 201; and a step of removing the NH3 gas (thatis, the residual gas) from the process chamber 201. The steps of thecycle described above are non-simultaneously performed.

In the present specification, the exemplary sequence of the film-formingprocess described above may be represented as follows:

(HCDS→NH3)×n=>SiN

In the following descriptions, the same also applies to other examples.

In the present specification, the term “wafer” may refer to “a waferitself” or refer to “a wafer and a stacked structure (aggregatedstructure) of a predetermined layer (or layers) or a film (or films)formed on a surface of the wafer”. In addition, “a surface of a wafer”refers to “a surface of the wafer itself” or “a surface of apredetermined layer (or layers) or a film (or films) formed on thewafer”. Thus, in the present specification, “forming a predeterminedlayer (or film) on a wafer” may refer to “forming a predetermined layer(or film) on a surface of the wafer itself” or may refer to “forming apredetermined layer (or film) on a surface of another layer or a filmformed on the wafer”. In the present specification, the terms“substrate” and “wafer” may be used as substantially the same meaning.That is, the term “substrate” may be substituted by “wafer” and viceversa.

<Wafer Charging and Boat Loading Step>

After the plurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 is transferred(charged) to the boat 217 (wafer charging step), the boat 217 chargedwith the plurality of the wafers is elevated by the boat elevator 115and loaded (transferred) into the process chamber 201 (boat loadingstep). With the boat 217 loaded, the seal cap 219 hermetically seals(closes) the lower end of the reaction tube 203 via an O-ring 220.

<Pressure Adjusting and Temperature Adjusting Step>

The vacuum pump 246 exhausts (vacuum-exhausts) the inner atmosphere ofthe process chamber 201 such that the inner pressure of the processchamber 201 reaches a predetermined pressure (vacuum degree) andmaintains the predetermined pressure. The inner pressure of the processchamber 201 is measured by pressure sensor 245, and the APC valve 243 isfeedback-controlled based on the measured pressure information. Thevacuum pump 246 continuously exhausts the inner atmosphere of theprocess chamber 201 until at least the substrate processing of the wafer200 is completed.

The heater 207 heats the process chamber 201 such that a temperature ofthe wafer 200 reaches a predetermined temperature and maintains thepredetermined temperature. The state of the electric conduction to theheater 207 is feedback-controlled based on the temperature detected bythe temperature sensor 263 such that the inner temperature of theprocess chamber 201 has a predetermined temperature distribution. Theheater 207 continuously heats the process chamber 201 until at least thesubstrate processing of the wafer 200 is completed. Then, before afilm-forming step described later is performed, the boat 217 and theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 are rotated by the boatrotating mechanism 267 and moved to a predetermined position (forexample, a position where the source gas does not interfere with theplurality of the wafer support parts (also referred to as supportcolumns) 212 of the boat 217).

<Film-forming Step>

When the inner temperature of the process chamber 201 is stabilized at apredetermined process temperature and the operation of the boat rotatingmechanism 267 is stopped after moving the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200 to the predetermined position, the film-formingstep is performed by sequentially performing the following two steps,that is, a first step and a second step. According to the embodiments,during the first step and the second step, the boat 217 and theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 are not rotated by theboat rotating mechanism 267. That is, the rotation of the wafer 200 isstopped. In addition, “the rotation of the wafer 200 is stopped” meansnot only directly stopping the rotation of the wafer 200 but alsostopping the rotation of the structure (for example, the boat 217) onwhich the wafer 200 is placed, so that both the wafer 200 and thestructure are not rotated.

<First Step>The first step includes a source gas supply step and a firstpurge step.

<Source Gas Supply Step>

In the source gas supply step, the HCDS gas is supplied to the wafer 200in the process chamber 201. The valves 314 and 324 are opened to supplythe HCDS gas into the process chamber 201. Specifically, the flow rateof the HCDS gas is adjusted by the MFCs 312 and 322. The HCDS gas havingthe flow rate thereof adjusted is then supplied into the process chamber201 through the nozzles 410 and 420, and is exhausted through theexhaust pipe 231. In the source gas supply step, simultaneously, thevalves 514 and 524 are opened to supply the N2 gas serving as the inertgas into the process chamber 201. After the flow rate of the N2 gas isadjusted by the MFCs 512 and 522, the N2 gas having the flow ratethereof adjusted is supplied into the process chamber 201 with the HCDSgas, and is exhausted the exhaust pipe 231.

By supplying the HCDS gas to the wafer 200, a silicon-containing layerwhose thickness is, for example, less than one atomic layer to severalatomic layers is formed as a first layer on an outermost surface of thewafer 200.

<First Purge Step>

After the first layer is formed, the valves 314 and 324 are closed tostop the supply of the HCDS gas into the process chamber 201. With theAPC valve 243 open, the vacuum pump 246 vacuum-exhausts the inneratmosphere of the process chamber 201 to remove the HCDS gas in theprocess chamber 201 which did not react or which contributed to theformation of the first layer from the process chamber 201. In the firstpurge step, by maintaining the valves 514 and 524 open, the N2 gas iscontinuously supplied into the process chamber 201. The N2 gas serves asthe purge gas, which improves the efficiency of removing the residualgas such as the HCDS gas in the process chamber 201 from the processchamber 201.

<Second Step>

The second step includes a reactive gas supply step and a second purgestep.

<Reactive Gas Supply Step>

After the first step is completed, the NH3 gas is supplied to the firstlayer formed on the wafer 200. In the reactive gas supply step, the NH3gas is thermally activated and then supplied to the wafer 200.

In the reactive gas supply step, the valve 394 is controlled in the samemanners as the valves 314 and 324 are controlled in the source gassupply step. The flow rate of the NH3 gas is adjusted by the MFC 392.Then, the NH3 gas having the flow rate thereof adjusted is supplied intothe process chamber 201 through the pipe 390, and is exhausted throughthe exhaust pipe 231. Thereby, the NH3 gas is supplied to the wafer 200in the process chamber 201.

The NH3 gas supplied to the wafer 200 reacts with at least a portion ofthe first layer (that is, the silicon-containing layer) formed on thewafer 200 in the source gas supply step of the first step. As a result,the first layer is thermally nitrided by non-plasma, and is modified(changed) into a second layer containing silicon (Si) and nitrogen (N),that is, a silicon nitride layer (also referred to as an “SiN layer”).

<Second Purge Step>

After the second layer is formed, the valve 394 is closed to stop thesupply of the NH3 gas into the process chamber 201. The inner atmosphereof the process chamber 201 is vacuum-exhausted to remove the NH3 gas inthe process chamber 201 which did not react or which contributed to theformation of the second layer or the reaction by-products from theprocess chamber 201 in the same manners as in the first purge step.

<Performing a Predetermined Number of Times>

By performing the cycle wherein the first step and the second step areperformed non-simultaneously a predetermined number of times (N times)(at least twice), the SiN film of a predetermined thickness and apredetermined composition is formed on the wafer 200. That is, the cycleis performed (repeated) until a total thickness of the SiN film formedby stacking the second layer by performing the cycle a plurality oftimes reaches the predetermined thickness under the conditions that thesecond layer formed in each cycle is thinner than the predeterminedthickness.

After each cycle described above is performed, the boat rotatingmechanism 267 rotates the boat 217 and the plurality of the wafersincluding the wafer 200. The predetermined number of times (N times) maybe, for example, twice to 200 times. According to the embodiments, thesecond purge step of each cycle is completed (that is, each cycle iscompleted) when a certain amount of the residual gas is exhausted fromthe process chamber 201 (for example, when a predetermined time haselapsed). For example, an event of termination of the second purge stepof each cycle may be output to the controller 280 after thepredetermined time has elapsed. After each cycle is completed and beforeits next cycle is started, a wafer rotation step (also referred to as a“substrate rotation step”) described later is performed. Specifically, arotation angle of rotating the wafer 200 is calculated according to thepredetermined number (N) of performing the cycle, and the wafer 200(that is, the plurality of the wafers) is rotated according to thecalculated rotation angle. For example, the controller 280 may send anoperation start instruction to the boat rotating mechanism 267. When thewafer 200 is being rotated by the boat rotating mechanism 267 in thewafer rotation step (that is, when a wafer rotation operation by theboat rotating mechanism 267 is performed), the same purge operation asin the second purge step may be performed, or the process chamber 201may be vacuum-exhausted with the supply of the inert gas stopped. Inaddition, the wafer rotation step may include a confirmation step ofconfirming whether or not to perform the wafer rotation operation by theboat rotating mechanism 267 after each cycle.

Instead of the event of termination of the second purge step describedabove, an event of start of the wafer rotation may be simply output tothe controller 280 when the predetermined time has elapsed during thesecond purge step, and the second purge step and the wafer rotationoperation of the wafer rotation step may be performed in parallel.However, when the event of start of the wafer rotation is used, thesecond purge step cannot be completed unless an event of the rotation ofthe wafer 200 is terminated (that is, unless the wafer 200 is rotated bythe rotation angle described later).

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates the film-forming process according tothe embodiments described herein. FIG. 4 schematically illustratesrotation states of the wafer according to the embodiments describedherein.

The film-forming process shown in FIG. 3 includes the film-forming stepand the wafer rotation step. For example, the film-forming step and thewafer rotation step where the predetermined number of times (N times) isset to 8 times (that is, N=8) are shown in FIG. 3 . In FIG. 3 , thefilm-forming step refers to the film-forming step of each cycle. In FIG.3 , for explaining the rotation states of the wafer 200, processingconditions of the substrate processing including processing conditionssuch as the second purge step (for example, purging with the inert gas)that may be performed during the wafer rotation step is omitted.Hereinafter, the wafer rotation operation by the boat rotating mechanism267 will be described in detail.

When the film-forming process is started (indicated by “START” in FIG. 3), a first cycle (indicated by “1CYC” in FIG. 3 ) is performed. In FIG.3 , each cycle (indicated by “1CYC” through “8CYC” in FIG. 3 ) refers toa processing step including the source gas supply step (indicated by“SGSS” in FIG. 3 ), the first purge step (indicated by “1PS” in FIG. 3), the reactive gas supply step (indicated by “RGSS” in FIG. 3 ) and thesecond purge step (indicated by “2PS” in FIG. 3 ) described above. Thesource gas supply step, the first purge step, the reactive gas supplystep and the second purge step are performed sequentially in this orderin each cycle. For the sake of simplification of the drawing, thedescription of the above-described processing step is omitted for athird cycle (“3CYC”) through an eighth cycle (“8CYC”).

After the first cycle 1CYC is completed, a first wafer rotation step(indicated by “WRS_1” in FIG. 3 ) of rotating wafer 200 by the rotationangle is performed. After the first wafer rotation step WRS_1 iscompleted, a second cycle (“2CYC”) is then performed. After the secondcycle 2CYC is completed, a second wafer rotation step (indicated by“WRS_2” in FIG. 3 ) through a seventh wafer rotation step (indicated by“WRS_7” in FIG. 3 ) are sequentially performed. Then, the eighth cycle8CYC is performed, and the film-forming process is completed (indicatedby “END” in FIG. 3 ).

As described above, in the film-forming process, the wafer rotation stepWRS (that is, the first wafer rotation step WRS_1 through the seventhwafer rotation step WRS_7) of rotating the wafer 200 by the rotationangle (indicated by “RA” in FIGS. 4 and 6 ) is performed for each cycle(more specifically, between each cycle and its next cycle). Since thecycle is performed a plurality number of times while rotating the wafer200 by the rotation angle for each cycle, the process gas can easilyreach the center of the wafer 200 without being affected by the rotationof the wafer 200. Alternatively, the by-products in the vicinity of thecenter of the wafer 200 may be easily discharged. In addition, a film isformed on the wafer 200 by supplying the source gas and the reactive gasat equal intervals in a circumferential direction of the wafer 200 atthe same number of times. Therefore, it is possible to reduce athickness difference of the film between the center of the wafer 200 andan outer peripheral portion of the wafer 200, and it is also possible toform the film on the wafer 200 with good uniformity.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the rotation states of the wafer 200(that is, the positions of the wafer 200) corresponding to the firstcycle 1CYC, the second cycle 2CYC, the seventh cycle 7CYC and the eighthcycle 8CYC shown in FIG. 3 when viewed from above. As described withreference to FIG. 3 , the wafer 200 is rotated in the wafer rotationstep WRS (that is, the wafer 200 is rotated in each of the first waferrotation step WRS_1 through the seventh wafer rotation step WRS_7) inunits of the rotation angle RA when viewed from above. The rotationangle RA may be determined to be 45° obtained by dividing 360° by 8(that is, RA=360°/8=45°.

First, the wafer 200 will be described with reference to the rotationstates of the wafer 200 during performing the cycle (that is, the firstcycle 1CYC through the eighth cycle 8CYC) shown in FIG. 4 . The angularpositions (orientations) of the wafer 200 are designated for every 45°along the circumferential direction so as to correspond to the number oftimes of performing the cycle (that is, 8 times where N=8), andreference numerals “1” through “8” are assigned to the angular positionsof the wafer 200. Hereinafter, the above-described “angular position(s)”of the wafer 200 will be simply referred to as “position(s)” of thewafer 200. The reference numeral “1” indicates the position of wafer 200in the first cycle 1CYC, and the reference numeral “2” indicates theposition of wafer 200 in the second cycle 2CYC. The reference numeral“3” indicates the position of wafer 200 in the third cycle 3CYC, thereference numeral “4” indicates the position of wafer 200 in the fourthcycle 4CYC, the reference numeral “5” indicates the position of wafer200 in the fifth cycle 5CYC, the reference numeral “6” indicates theposition of wafer 200 in the sixth cycle 6CYC, the reference numeral “7”indicates the position of wafer 200 in the seventh cycle 7CYC, and thereference numeral “8” indicates the position of wafer 200 in the eighthcycle 8CYC.

According to the example shown in FIG. 4 , the position of the wafer 200in each cycle indicates the position of the wafer 200 when the gas(indicated by “GAS” in FIG. 4 ) such as the source gas and the reactivegas is supplied through the nozzle (indicated by “NZ” in FIG. 4 ) in thesource gas supply step SGSS and the reactive gas supply step RGSS ofeach cycle. The gas is supplied to the wafer 200 by passing through theportions indicated by the dotted lines shown in FIG. 4 . The nozzle NZcorresponds to the nozzles 410, 420 and 430.

In the example shown in FIG. 4 , a rotation direction of the wafer 200(indicated by “RDW” in FIG. 4 ) is clockwise (right) direction. That is,the wafer 200 is rotated clockwise in each cycle by the rotation angleRA of 45° obtained by dividing 360° by 8 (that is, RA=360°/8=45°). Therotation direction of the wafer 200 (RDW) may be counterclockwise (left)direction. In addition, it is not necessary to keep the wafer 200stationary at times other than the wafer rotation step WRS (that is,“WRS_1” through “WRS_8”). For example, the wafer 200 may be rotated at alower speed than the rotation speed of the wafer 200 in the waferrotation step WRS. For example, a speed of moving the edge of thesubstrate (that is, the wafer 200) due to the rotation of the wafer 200may be 10% or less than a flow velocity of the gas flowing between theplurality of the substrates (the plurality of the wafers including thewafer 200). When the wafer 200 is rotated at the lower speed than therotation speed of the wafer 200 in the wafer rotation step WRS, the sumof the rotation amount of the wafer 200 in the wafer rotation step ofeach cycle and the rotation amount of the wafer 200 in steps other thanthe wafer rotation step in each cycle should be equivalent to therotation angle RA.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in the first cycle 1CYC, the wafer 200 is locatedat the position identified by the reference numeral 1, and in thisstate, the source gas or the reactive gas is supplied to wafer 200through the nozzle NZ. In the second cycle 2CYC, the wafer 200 isrotated clockwise by 45° with respect to the position identified by thereference numeral 1. As a result, in the second cycle 2CYC, the wafer200 is located at the position identified by the reference numeral 2,and in this state, the source gas or the reactive gas is supplied towafer 200 through the nozzle NZ. Similarly, in the seventh cycle 7CYC,the wafer 200 is rotated clockwise by 270° (=45°×6) with respect to theposition identified by the reference numeral 1. As a result, in theseventh cycle 7CYC, the wafer 200 is located at the position identifiedby the reference numeral 7, and in this state, the source gas or thereactive gas is supplied to wafer 200 through the nozzle NZ. Similarly,in the eighth cycle 8CYC, the wafer 200 is rotated clockwise by 315°(=45°×7) with respect to the position identified by the referencenumeral 1. As a result, in the eighth cycle 8CYC, the wafer 200 islocated at the position identified by the reference numeral 8, and inthis state, the source gas or the reactive gas is supplied to wafer 200through the nozzle NZ.

As described above, the circumference of the wafer 200 is dividedequally along a circumferential direction by the number of times (Ntimes) of performing the cycle, and each cycle is performed while thewafer 200 is located at each position corresponding thereto. Therefore,it is possible to form the film on the wafer 200 with good uniformity.However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, therotation angle RA may be determined by adding a predetermined angle αand the angle obtained by dividing 360° by N (N is the number of timesof performing the cycle). The predetermined angle α is greater than 0°and less than (360°/N). That is, the rotation angle RA may berepresented by “RA=(360°/N)+α”, and 0 <α<(360°/N). For example, bydetermining the rotation angle RA by shifting the predetermined angle α,it is possible to supply the gas without being affected by the pluralityof the support columns 212 of the boat 217 even in a case where the gasincluding the source gas supplied through the nozzle NZ would otherwisebe affected by the plurality of the support columns 212 of the boat 217at the angle calculated by “360°/N”. In addition, the rotation angle RAmay be determined by “RA=360°×k/N” instead of “RA=360°/N”, where k is anumber determined appropriately. For example, when the number of timesof performing the cycle is 80 (that is, N=80), the rotation angle RA isdetermined to be 4.5°. When the rotation angle RA is 4.5°, it isdifficult to supply the gas without being affected by the plurality ofthe support columns 212 of the boat 217. However, when the rotationangle RA is determined to be 45° according to the formula “360°×k/N”described above where k is set to 10 and N is 8, it is possible tosupply the gas without being affected by the plurality of the supportcolumns 212 of the boat 217. A step of determining the rotation angle RAas described above will be described later.

In FIG. 4 , the reference numerals 1 through 8 indicating the positionsof the wafer 200 of each cycle are illustrated sequentially along thecircumference of the wafer 200. With such a configuration, it ispossible to simplify a configuration of the control program of thecontroller 280. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto. Thereference numerals 1 through 8 may be randomly assigned to the positionsof the wafer 200 although this may complicate the configuration of thecontrol program.

For example, the process conditions when the film-forming step isperformed are as follows:

-   -   Processing Temperature (the temperature of the wafer): 250° C.        to 700° C.;    -   Processing Pressure (the inner pressure of the process chamber):        1 Pa to 4,000 Pa;    -   Flow rate of the HCDS gas: 1 sccm to 2,000 sccm;    -   Flow rate of the NH3 gas: 100 sccm to 10,000 sccm; and    -   Flow rate of the N2 gas (when the HCDS gas is supplied): 100        sccm to 10,000 sccm.

By selecting suitable values within these process conditions describedabove, it is possible to perform the film-forming step properly.

<Purging and Returning to Atmospheric Pressure Step>

After the film-forming step is completed, the valves 314, 324 and 394are closed to stop the supply of the gas such as the source gas and thereactive gas. With the APC valve 243 of the exhaust pipe 231 open, thevacuum pump 246 vacuum-exhausts the inner atmosphere of the processchamber 201 to remove the gas such as the source gas and the reactivegas in the process chamber 201 from the process chamber 201. Bysupplying the inert gas such as the N2 gas through the nozzles 410, 420and 430 to the process chamber 201 and exhausting the inert gas, aninside of the process chamber 201 is purged with the inert gas (gaspurging step). Thereafter, the inner atmosphere of the process chamber201 is replaced with the inert gas (substitution by inert gas), and theinner pressure of the process chamber 201 is returned to the atmosphericpressure (returning to atmospheric pressure step).

<Boat Unloading and Wafer Discharging Step>

Thereafter, the seal cap 219 is lowered by the boat elevator 115 and thelower end of the reaction tube 203 is opened. The boat 217 with theplurality of processed wafers including the wafer 200 charged therein istransferred (unloaded) out of the reaction tube 203 through the lowerend of the reaction tube 203. Then, the plurality of the processedwafers including the wafer 200 is transferred (discharged) out of theboat 217.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 5 , and the step of determining therotation angle RA will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the manufacturing process according tothe embodiments described herein. The manufacturing process of thesemiconductor device includes a substrate loading step S10, a substrateprocessing step S11, and a substrate unloading step S12.

As described above, in the substrate loading step S10, the substrateretainer (that is, the boat 217) charged with the plurality of thewafers including the wafer 200 is loaded into the process chamber 201.

In the substrate processing step S11, the film is formed on theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 by performing a cycle apredetermined number of times to the plurality of the wafers includingthe wafer 200 loaded into the process chamber 201. The cycle includesthe source gas supply step SGSS, the first purge step 1PS, the reactivegas supply step RGSS and the second purge step 2PS described above withreference to FIG. 3 . The plurality of the wafers including the wafer200 is rotated in each cycle by the rotation angle RA. When theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 is being rotated in eachcycle, the same purge step as in the second purge step 2PS may beperformed.

In the substrate unloading step S12, the boat 217 with the plurality ofprocessed wafers including the wafer 200 charged therein is transferred(unloaded) out of the reaction tube 203 through the lower end portion ofthe reaction tube 203. Then, the plurality of the processed wafersincluding the wafer 200 is transferred (discharged) out of the boat 217.

The manufacturing process of the semiconductor device is incorporated inthe control program of the controller 280 as control sequences. Themanufacturing process of the semiconductor device is controlled by thecontroller 280 configured to perform the control program.

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an example of the step (or a controlsequence) of determining the rotation angle RA. The rotation angle RA ofrotating the wafer 200 in each cycle may be determined by the number(NSC) and the positional relationship (PSC) of the plurality of thewafer support parts (support columns) 212 of the boat 217 supporting theplurality of the wafers including the wafer 200 and the position (PNZ)of the nozzles 410, 420 and 430 (hereinafter, simply referred to as thenozzle NZ) which are supply ports of the gas such as the source gas andthe reactive gas. For example, after the wafer 200 is rotated, the gassuch as the source gas and the reactive gas supplied through the nozzleNZ may interfere with the plurality of the support columns of the boat217, which is considered as undesirable in the film-forming step.Therefore, it is preferable that the controller 280 is configured toperform the control program including the step (or the control sequence)of determining the rotation angle RA as shown in FIG. 6 .

In addition, for example, it is preferable to perform a step ofmeasuring a thickness of the film being formed (SiN film) afterperforming the cycle (for example, after performing each cycle). Forexample, when performing each cycle, the thickness of the film ismeasured. In addition, it is determined whether or not the measuredthickness of the film is within a predetermined range, and it isdetermined whether or not to rotate the wafer 200. When it is determinedthat the measured thickness of the film is within the predeterminedrange, the next cycle is performed after rotating wafer 200 by therotation angle RA. When it is determined that the measured thickness ofthe film is less than the predetermined range, the same cycle isperformed again without rotating the wafer 200. Thereby, it is possibleto promote or uniformize the growth of the film.

The step (or the control sequence) of determining the rotation angle RAwill be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

When the step (or the control sequence) of determining the rotationangle RA is started (indicated by “START” in FIG. 6 ), the followingsteps are performed.

In a step S20, an initial rotation angle is calculated from a value(indicated by “XX”) indicating the predetermined number (N) of times ofperforming the cycle. In the step S20, the rotation angle is obtained bydividing 360° by the value XX (that is, RA=360°/XX).

In a step S21, an undesirable position of the wafer 200 is calculatedbased on the number (NSC) and the positional relationship (PSC) of theplurality of the support columns (SC) 212 of the boat 217, the position(PNZ) of the nozzle NZ which is the supply port of the gas such as thesource gas and the reactive gas and the rotation angle RA. In the stepS21, it may be determined whether a current position of the wafer 200 isthe undesirable position. Thereby, it is possible to confirm whether ornot a start position of the process (that is, the film-forming process)is appropriate.

In step S22, a number n is set to 1 in order to perform an nth cycle,and the execution of the nth cycle is prepared. For example, in order toperform the first cycle 1CYC, the number n is set to 1, and theexecution of the first cycle is prepared. Then, the controller 280instructs the execution of the nth cycle (indicated by “ICYCP” in FIG. 6), and the nth cycle is performed. For example, the first cycle 1CYC isperformed when the number n is 1.

In a step S23, a next position of the wafer 200 when the currentposition of the wafer 200 in the nth cycle is rotated by the rotationangle RA is compared with the undesirable position of the wafer 200obtained in the step S21 (indicated by “COMPARE WP” in FIG. 6 ).

In a step 24, a relationship between the result of the step S23 and therotation angle RA is determined (indicated by “IS RA OK?” in FIG. 6 ).When the rotation angle RA is appropriate (indicated by “OK” in FIG. 6 )in the step S24, a step S25 is performed.

When the rotation angle RA is inappropriate (indicated by “NG” in FIG. 6) in the step S24, a step S26 is performed.

In the step S26, the rotation angle RA is fine-tuned (adjusted), and ischanged to an adjusted rotation angle RA′ (indicated by “ADJUST RA=>RA′”in FIG. 6 ). The adjusted rotation angle RA′ is determined inconsideration of the undesirable position of the wafer 200. For example,the adjusted rotation angle RA′ may be obtained by adding or subtractingthe predetermined angle α to the rotation angle RA. For example, theadjusted rotation angle RA′ may be obtained by multiplying the rotationangle RA by the number k determined appropriately.

When the rotation angle RA is appropriate (indicated by “OK” in FIG. 6 )in the step S24, the wafer 200 is rotated by the rotation angle RA inthe step S25 (indicated by “ROTATE WAFER 200” in FIG. 6 ). That is, thecontroller 280 is configured to operate the boat rotating mechanism 267to rotate the boat 217 and the plurality of the wafers including thewafer 200 by the rotation angle RA. On the other hand, when the rotationangle RA is changed to the adjusted rotation angle RA′ in the step S26,the controller 280 is configured to operate the boat rotating mechanism267 to rotate the boat 217 and the plurality of the wafers including thewafer 200 by the adjusted rotation angle RA′ in the step S25.

In a step S27, it is determined whether the number n has reached thevalue XX (indicated by “n=XX?” in FIG. 6 ). When the number n hasreached the value XX (indicated by “YES” in FIG. 6 ), the step ofdetermining the rotation angle RA is completed (indicated by “END” inFIG. 6 ). On the other hand, when the number n has not reached the valueXX (indicated by “NO” in FIG. 6 ), a step S28 is performed.

In the step S28, the number n is incremented by 1 (indicated by “n=>n+1”in FIG. 6 ), and a step S29 is performed.

In the step S29, the thickness of the film being formed (SiN film) ismeasured, and it is determined whether or not the measured thickness ofthe film is within a predetermined thickness range (indicated by “ISTHICKNESS OK?” in FIG. 6 ). When it is determined that the measuredthickness of the film is within the predetermined thickness range(indicated by “OK” in FIG. 6 ) in the step S29, the controller 280instructs the execution of the nth cycle (indicated by “ICYCP” in FIG. 6), and the nth cycle is performed. For example, the second cycle 2CYC isperformed when the number n is 2.

When it is determined that the measured thickness of the film is notwithin the predetermined thickness range (indicated by “NG” in FIG. 6 )in the step S29, that is, it is determined that the thickness of thefilm is thin (i.e., insufficient), the controller 280 instructs theexecution of the nth cycle (indicated by “ICYCP” in FIG. 6 ), and thenth cycle is performed. For example, the second cycle 2CYC is performedwhen the number n is 2. In addition, the step S27 is performed withoutperforming the step S23 through the step S25.

Thereafter, the step S23 through the step S29 are sequentiallyperformed. When the number n has reached the value XX (indicated by“YES” in FIG. 6 ) in the step S27, the step of determining the rotationangle RA is completed (indicated by “END” in FIG. 6 ).

While the above-described embodiments are described by way of an examplein which the substrate processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 1 is used,the above-described technique is not limited thereto. That is, theabove-described technique is not limited to the configuration of thesubstrate processing apparatus 101, and the substrate processingapparatus 101 may be provided with a mechanism of operating (forexample, rotating) the support parts that support the plurality of thewafers including the wafer 200. In addition, a single wafer typeapparatus or a multi wafer type apparatus configured to process thewafer 200 or a plurality of wafers including the wafer 200 placed on asusceptor with the process gas may be used. When the single wafer typeapparatus or the multi wafer type apparatus provided with the susceptoris used, it is not necessary to consider the influence of the pluralityof the support columns 212 of the boat 217 in the step of determiningthe rotation angle RA due to the configuration of the single wafer typeapparatus or the multi wafer type apparatus. Therefore, theabove-described technique may be preferably applied to the single wafertype apparatus or the multi wafer type apparatus.

According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to provideone or more advantageous effects described below.

(a) By performing the cycle a plurality number of times while rotatingthe wafer 200 by the rotation angle RA for each cycle, the process gascan easily reach the center of the wafer 200 without being affected bythe rotation of the wafer 200. Alternatively, the by-products in thevicinity of the center of the wafer 200 can be easily discharged.Therefore, it is possible to reduce the thickness difference of the filmbetween the center of the wafer 200 and the outer peripheral portion ofthe wafer 200, and it is also possible to form the film on the wafer 200with good uniformity.

(b) As shown in FIG. 4 , the circumference of the wafer 200 is dividedequally along a circumferential direction by the number of times ofperforming the cycle, and each cycle is performed while the wafer 200 islocated at each position corresponding thereto. Therefore, it ispossible to supply the gas such as the source gas and the reactive gasat equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the wafer 200 atthe same number of times. As a result, it is possible to uniformize thethickness of the film formed on the wafer 200. That is, it is possibleto form the film on the wafer 200 with good uniformity.

(c) As shown in FIG. 6 , it is possible to adjust the rotation angle RAof rotating the wafer 200 in each cycle by the number (NSC) and thepositional relationship (PSC) of the plurality of the support columns212 of the boat 217 supporting the plurality of the wafers including thewafer 200 and the position (PNZ) of the nozzle NZ which is the supplyport of the gas such as the source gas and the reactive gas.Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the undesirable state in whichthe gas such as the source gas and the reactive gas supplied through thenozzle NZ may interfere with the plurality of the support columns (SC)of the boat 217. As a result, it is possible to uniformize the thicknessof the film formed on the wafer 200. That is, it is possible to form thefilm on the wafer 200 with good uniformity.

(d) As shown in FIG. 6 , the step of measuring the thickness of the filmbeing formed (SiN film) is performed after performing the cycle (forexample, after performing each cycle). When it is determined that themeasured thickness of the film is less than the predetermined range, thenext cycle is performed without rotating the wafer 200. Thereby, it ispossible to promote or uniformize the growth of the film.

(e) According to the embodiments, it is possible to reduce the thicknessdifference of the film between the center of the wafer 200 and the outerperipheral portion of the wafer 200 without being affected by therotation of the wafer 200, and it is also possible to form the film onthe wafer 200 with good uniformity. Therefore, it is possible tosuppress the phenomenon (also referred to as an “LE effect”) which isone of the problems associated with the increase in a surface area of apatterned wafer due to recent advances in the pattern miniaturizationand multi-layering. According to the LE effect, it is difficult tosupply the gas such as the source gas and the reactive gas to the centerof the wafer 200, and as a result, the thickness of the film in acentral portion of the wafer 200 is reduced.

(f) According to the embodiments, in particular, when the patternedwafer with a large diameter (for example, 400 mm or more) is used, it ispossible to suppress the phenomenon (LE effect“) that the gas hardlyreaches the center of the wafer 200 to thereby reduce the thickness ofthe film in the central portion of the wafer 200. In addition, the term“patterned wafer” refers to the wafer 200 in which a fine pattern isformed on a surface thereof, such as the wafer 200 whose surface area isseveral times or more than that of a normal wafer.

Other Embodiments

While the technique is described in detail by way of the above-describedembodiments, the above-described technique is not limited thereto. Theabove-described technique may be modified in various ways withoutdeparting from the gist thereof.

For example, according to the embodiments described above, the boatrotating mechanism 267 does not rotate the boat 217 and the plurality ofthe wafers including the wafer 200 during the cycle (that is, the sourcegas supply step, the first purge step, the reactive gas supply step andthe second purge step). That is, the wafer 200 is kept stationary duringthe cycle. However, the above-described technique is not limitedthereto. For example, according to a modified example of theembodiments, the rotation of the wafer 200 is stopped during the sourcegas supply step, the first purge step and the reactive gas supply stepof the cycle, and the boat 217 and the plurality of the wafers includingthe wafer 200 may be rotated by the boat rotating mechanism 267 betweenthe start of the reactive gas supply step of the cycle and before thesource gas supply step of its next cycle. That is, the second purge stepand the wafer rotation step may be performed in parallel (that is,simultaneously). According to the modified example, the difference fromthe embodiments described above is that the operation start instructionfrom the controller 280 to the boat rotating mechanism 267 is issued atthe end of the cycle (or at the end of the second purge step (forexample, a predetermined time has elapsed)) or at the end of thereactive gas supply step (or at the start of the second purge step).

According to the modified example, the substrate is processed byperforming a substrate processing including a step of supplying thesource gas, a first purge step of discharging (exhausting) at least thesource gas, a step of supplying the reactive gas and a second purge stepof discharging (exhausting) at least the reactive gas. According to thesubstrate processing of the modified example, the wafer 200 is keptstationary during the step of supplying the source gas, the first purgestep and the step of supplying the reactive gas (that is, the wafer 200is not rotated by the boat rotating mechanism 267), and the wafer 200 isrotated by the boat rotating mechanism 267 between the start of thesecond purge step of the cycle and before the step of supplying thesource gas of its next cycle. For example, when the step of supplyingthe reactive gas is completed, the controller 280 outputs an event oftermination of the reactive gas supply step (or an event of start of thesecond purge step) and operates the boat rotating mechanism 267 torotate the wafer 200. According to the modified example, the wafer 200is rotated during the second purge step (with the start of the secondpurge step) of the cycle rather than providing the wafer rotation stepafter the cycle. Therefore, there is no need to wait for the end of thesecond purge step (for example, the lapse of a predetermined time). As aresult, it is possible to improve the throughput of the substrateprocessing.

According to the modified example, not only the substrate processingapparatus 101 described above but also the single wafer type apparatusor the multi wafer type apparatus may be used. In addition, the samecontroller 280 may be used as a controller for the modified example.According to the modified example, since the difference from theembodiments described above is only the timing of operating the boatrotating mechanism 267, it is possible to provide at least one of theeffects (a) through (f) described above.

While the above-described embodiments are described by way of an examplein which the HCDS gas serving as the source gas is used, theabove-described technique is not limited thereto. Instead of the HCDSgas, for example, an inorganic halosilane source gas such asmonochlorosilane (SiH3C1, abbreviated as MCS) gas, dichlorosilane(SiH2C12, abbreviated as DCS) gas, trichlorosilane (SiHC13, abbreviatedas TCS) gas, tetrachlorosilane gas, that is, silicon tetrachloride(SiC14, abbreviated as STC) gas and octachlorotrisilane (Si3C18,abbreviated as OCTS) gas may be used as the source gas. Instead of theHCDS gas, for example, an amino-based (amine-based) silane source gasfree of halogen group such as trisdimethylaminosilane (Si[N(CH3)2]3H,abbreviated as 3DMAS) gas, tetrakisdimethylaminosilane (Si[N(CH3)2]4,abbreviated as 4DMAS) gas, bisdiethylaminosilane (Si[N(C2H5)2]2H2,abbreviated as BDEAS) gas and bis(tertiary-butyl amino)silane gas(SiH2[NH(C4H9)]2, abbreviated as BTBAS) gas may also be used as thesource gas. Instead of the HCDS gas, for example, an inorganic silanesource gas free of halogen group such as monosilane (SiH4, abbreviatedas MS) gas, disilane (Si2H6, abbreviated as DS) gas and trisilane(Si3H8, abbreviated as TS) gas may also be used as the source gas.

In addition, while the above-described embodiments are described by wayof an example in which the NH3 gas serving as the reactive gas is used,the above-described technique is not limited thereto. Instead of the NH3gas, for example, a hydrogen nitride-based gas such as diazene (N2H2)gas, hydrazine (N2H4) gas, N3H8 gas and compounds thereof may be used asthe reactive gas. Instead of the NH3 gas, for example, anethylamine-based gas such as triethylamine ((C2H5)3N, abbreviated asTEA) gas, diethylamine ((C2H5)2NH, abbreviated as DEA) gas andmonoethylamine (C2H5NH2, abbreviated as MEA) gas may also be used as thereactive gas. Instead of the NH3 gas, for example, a methylamine-basedgas such as trimethylamine ((CH3)3N, abbreviated as TMA) gas,dimethylamine ((CH3)2NH, abbreviated as DMA) gas and monomethylamine(CH3NH2, abbreviated as MMA) may also be used as the reactive gas.Instead of the NH3 gas, for example, an organic hydrazine-based gas suchas trimethylhydrazine ((CH3)2N2(CH3)H, abbreviated as TMH) gas may alsobe used as the reactive gas.

In addition, while the above-described embodiments are described by wayof an example in which the SiN film is formed by using the HCDS gas asthe source gas and the nitrogen (N)-containing gas such as the NH3 gasas the reactive gas, the above-described technique is not limitedthereto. For example, the above-described technique may be applied tothe formation of a film such as a silicon oxide film (SiO film), asilicon oxynitride film (SiON film), a silicon oxycarbonitride film(SiOCN film), a silicon oxycarbide film (SiOC film), a siliconcarbonitride film (SiCN film), a silicon boronitride film (SiBN film)and a silicon boron carbonitride film (SiBCN film) according tofilm-forming sequences by using an oxygen-containing gas (oxidizing gas)such as an oxygen (O2) gas, a carbon-containing gas such as a propylene(C3H6) gas and a boron-containing gas such as boron trichloride (BC13)instead of or in addition to the gases described above. In addition, theorder of supplying the gases may be changed appropriately.

In addition, while above-described embodiments are described based onthe semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the method ofmanufacturing the semiconductor device, the above-described technique isnot limited thereto. For example, the above-described technique may beapplied to a manufacturing apparatus for processing a glass substratesuch as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) manufacturing apparatus and amethod of manufacturing the LCD.

While the above-described embodiments are described by way of an examplein which the film is deposited on the wafer 200, the above-describedtechnique is not limited thereto. For example, the above-describedtechnique may be preferably applied to processes such as an oxidationprocess, a diffusion process, an annealing process and an etchingprocess of the wafer 200 or the film or layer formed on the wafer 200.

For example, the above-described technique may be applied to aprocessing apparatus configured to process a substrate placed on apredetermined support part by repeatedly performing a predeterminedcycle.

According to some embodiments in the present disclosure, it is possibleto form a film with good uniformity on a substrate by reducing athickness difference between a film formed on a center of the substrateand an outer peripheral portion of the substrate.

What is claimed is:
 1. A substrate processing apparatus comprising: aprocess chamber in which a substrate is processed; a process gas supplysystem configured to supply a process gas into the process chamber; arotating mechanism configured to rotate the substrate; and a controllerconfigured to control the process gas supply system and the rotatingmechanism to supply the process gas in a state where the substrate isstopped while a cycle of supplying the process gas is performed apredetermined number of times; and rotate the substrate by apredetermined angle obtained by dividing a circumference of thesubstrate equally by the predetermined number of times while the processgas is not supplied to the substrate.
 2. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured tocontrol the process gas supply system and the rotating mechanism tosupply the process gas at least once in the state where the substrate isstopped while the cycle of supplying the process gas is performed thepredetermined number of times.
 3. The substrate processing apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control theprocess gas supply system and the rotating mechanism to prevent thesubstrate from being rotated by the rotating mechanism while the processgas is being supplied.
 4. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the controller is further configured to control the process gassupply system to perform the cycle of supplying the process gas and acycle of purging the process chamber.
 5. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured tocontrol the process gas supply system to perform a cycle of purging theprocess chamber while the cycle of supplying the process gas is notbeing performed.
 6. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5,wherein the controller is further configured to control the process gassupply system and the rotating mechanism to rotate the substrate by thepredetermined angle after terminating the cycle of purging the processchamber and before starting the cycle of supplying the process gas. 7.The substrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cycle ofsupplying the process gas comprises: (a) supplying a source gas; and (b)supplying a reactive gas, wherein the controller is further configuredto control the process gas supply system to repeatedly perform (a) and(b) as a single cycle.
 8. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7,wherein the cycle of supplying the process gas further comprises: (c)purging the process chamber, and wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to control the process gas supply system to perform (c)between (a) and (b).
 9. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7,further comprising a substrate retainer in which the substrate issupported, wherein the cycle of supplying the process gas furthercomprises: (d) rotating the substrate, and wherein the controller isfurther configured to control the process gas supply system and therotating mechanism to perform (d) by operating the substrate retainerbefore a start of (a).
 10. The substrate processing apparatus of claim9, wherein (d) comprises: (d-1) determining the predetermined angle bywhich the substrate is rotated, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to perform (d-1) so as to prevent the source gas frominterfering with a plurality of support columns of the substrateretainer.
 11. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 10, whereinthe controller is further configured to confirm whether or not thesubstrate is rotated by the predetermined angle in (d-1).
 12. Thesubstrate processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller isfurther configured to control the process gas supply system torepeatedly perform the cycle of supplying the process gas and the cycleof purging the process chamber as a single cycle.
 13. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to control the process gas supply system and the rotatingmechanism to rotate the substrate after the single cycle is performedthe predetermined number of times.
 14. The substrate processingapparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured tothe process gas supply system and the rotating mechanism to perform thesingle cycle a plurality number of times, and wherein the controller isfurther configured to complete a substrate processing without rotatingthe substrate after a last execution of the single cycle among theplurality number of times.
 15. The substrate processing apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control theprocess gas supply system and the rotating mechanism to rotate thesubstrate after performing the single cycle and not to rotate thesubstrate while the single cycle is being performed.
 16. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to control the process gas supply system to rotate thesubstrate after every completion of the single cycle.
 17. The substrateprocessing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a substrate retainerin which the substrate is supported, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to control the rotating mechanism to rotate the substrateretainer and the substrate supported by the substrate retainer.
 18. Thesubstrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller isfurther configured to fine-tune a position of the substrate after thesubstrate is rotated.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable recordingmedium storing a program related to a substrate processing apparatuscomprising a process chamber in which a substrate is processed, aprocess gas supply system configured to supply a process gas into theprocess chamber, an exhaust system configured to discharge the processgas from the process chamber, and a controller configured to control theprocess gas supply system and the exhaust system to perform a cycle ofsupplying the process gas a predetermined number of times, wherein theprogram causes, by a computer, the substrate processing apparatus toperform (A) processing the substrate, wherein (A) comprises: (a)supplying the process gas while the substrate is stopped; and (b)rotating the substrate by a predetermined angle obtained by dividing acircumference of the substrate equally by the predetermined number oftimes while the process gas is not supplied to the substrate.
 20. Amethod of manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: (A)processing a substrate by performing a cycle of supplying a process gasa predetermined number of times, wherein (A) comprises: (a) supplyingthe process gas while the substrate is stopped; and (b) rotating thesubstrate by a predetermined angle obtained by dividing a circumferenceof the substrate equally by the predetermined number of times while theprocess gas is not supplied to the substrate.